How Much Protein, Carbs & Fat Should You Eat? | Macros Split Guide for Weight Loss & Health Goals
Thanks to LMNT for sponsoring this video! Head to to get your free sample pack with any purchase.
Hey everyone I’m Abbey Sharp welcome to Abbey’s Kitchen. In todays video, we will be talking about how to shape your macro split based on your fitness goals.
Thank you to Eric Williamson, who is a dietitian and PhD who specializes in sports and weight management.
Tiktok @unlockedfitnessnutrition and
FREE HUNGER CRUSHING COMBO™ E-BOOK!
A FEW DISCLAIMERS
1) The information in this video is for education and entertainment purposes only, so you should always speak to a health care provider about your unique health needs.
2) Please use this video (as with all of my review videos) as educational, not as unique recommendations.
3) Please be kind in the comments.
4) Trigger warning to those with disordered eating tendencies.
5) Don’t forget to subscribe to this channel and ring the little bell so you never miss out!
RESEARCH LINKS
(199K%2C%20pdf)-,Supplement%202
(~-,1.85%20g%C2%B7kg%2D1%C2%B7d%2D1,-)%20will%20maximize%20whole
Follow me on Instagram and TikTok! @abbeyskitchen
Anorexia & Restrictive Dieting Freedom E-Course
(Use promo code Abbey20 for 20% off)
Some important links:
My book, The Mindful Glow Cookbook affiliate link:
The best baby feeding & eating gear (amazon #affiliate)
My favourite supplements (amazon #affiliate)
My favourite kitchen appliances and tools (amazon #affiliate)
My favourite healthy snacks (amazon #affiliate)
My favourite healthy breakfast foods (amazon #affiliate)
With Science & Sass,
Xoxo Abbey
I always learn so much when I come on here love it ❤ loved your advice to people on Healthline
Thanks Paulina!!❤
This is something I been wondering… but I really think practicing frugal lifestyle is more important than trying to chow down on 3 $20 salads every day of the week
What are you wondering? Lol salads don’t cost $20 if you make it yourself…
I just think they’re not reasonable to feed a family. Some families spend hundreds of dollars per person per month to feed a family. My budget is about $3 per person per day in my household.
Make your salads yourself, it’s not just cheaper, you also know exactly what’s in it and can accommodate the ingredients to your needs and likes. I love salads, so in summer I eat salad every day, in winter I often have a side salad. I can only recommend that.
In most countries fruit and veg are the cheapest food and the only way to make a salad cost 20 dollars would be to put gold flakes in it. Not even seeds and nuts. If you showed someone a US grocery receipt and asked them to guess the climate of the country they would think from the prices it was frozen tundra
Anyways… was salad mentioned in this video or did i miss something?
For any form of exercise; does overall calories matter more than overall carbs? As well as the timing of your pre and post workout meal?
I was waiting for you to say the 3:1 carbs: protein ratio post workout for the insulin response that drives protein into the muscle
YESSS I’ve been waiting for this!! I’m trying to gain muscle so this is good stuff. Abbey, are you a mind reader? Did you read my mind? XD <3
Maybe…
Hey Abbey! Super awesome informational video. About to receive my Bachelor’s degree in dietetics next month& I’m constantly getting questions around this topic as a nutrition student and athlete. I will be sure to send this video to all the inquiring minds! Thank you for all the work you put into these videos, evidence based information matters!
so excited for you!! Thanks for sharing Lyndsey🥰🥰
Congratulations on your degree!
I am so grateful we are getting another dietitian that has same understanding as Abby. Congrats!
When recommending 1.8g protein/kg of body weight for weight loss goals, would you opt to calculate this using a person’s actual body weight or ideal bodyweight? I’m a fairly new RD working with individuals struggling with obesity, so recommending they consume 1.8g/kg of their actual body weight could be nearly impossible. (Ex: A 300 lb. person consuming almost 250g protein daily)
I’ve heard people say to calculate it based on the person’s ideal weight or the weight they want to get to. I find this hard to do for myself since my goals are more body fat related than weight related, so I guess just going with the percent of calories from protein in the diet instead.
I am not an expert but the general recommendation I’ve heard is based on lean body mass i.e., using ideal weight
I heard that for very obese people where eating 250g of protein wouldn’t be realistic, to use lean body mass. Otherwise can use total current weight for the protein amount. I’m not a pro though so I could be wrong 😅
I have also heard that lean body mass is what matters for protein intake. But definitely don’t use the actual body weight for obese people but their ideal body weight – going by their actual weight would probably also be counterproductive because that would amount to too many calories.
For someone who is very overweight/obese it should be based on lean body mass not total body mass. In general, unless someone is a bodybuilder/powerlifter they’re not going to need more than 150g protein per day.
This is so helpful! Thank you so much for always sharing good information 😊
thanks lovely
This is cool, i don’t know how many fitness folks are watching your channel but Macro’s i generally run with (this system i found works for me anyway, specifics will vary/per person) if on a bulk (btw welcome to winter bulking season) i found keeping protein 40%, fats 40%, and carbs 20%…… if on maintaining/maingaining i go with 50% protein, 35% fat, 15% carbs….. and if on a cut 60% protein, 30% fat, 10% carbs (if curious about some results or a deeper explaination feel free to ask)
Wow, that’s so much protein.. I hope it isn’t only from animal sources.. with such little carb intake how do you manage to hit your Fiber needs and get enough fruit and veggies in? Most of the healthiest food groups are carb rich🧐🏋🏼♀️🥗 just curious on your take on this?😌✌🏽
@Sunnygirl so to be fair Abby is addressing reg. folks, that’s why i put the fitness label in as i’m a regular gym goer and a powerlifter so what i’m doing is more controlled then the average, to answer your question on carb’s i’m referring to net carb’s, as you know fiber is a neg. macro (to know how many carbs your consuming you subtract the fiber) also most foods rich in fiber are fruits and vege (Grain sources are the opposite, they very low in fiber and nutrition (just read the labels) and basically empty cal’s as they are digested as glucous (aka sugar)), with regards to fruits i stick with whats appropriate for goals (ex, “spring cut” i’ll go with fruits considered LGI (low-glucose index or insulin-index, this is a current debate on which is better but no need to get that specific) fruits considered LGI would be like berries and granny smith apples, where as “winter bulking season” fruit not LGI are better choices (bannanas, pineapple, etc)) vege’s are generally extremely low in carbs in general (1:1 or 2:1 ratios) as for protein animal sources are the best as they have the aminos that work with your digestion and blood which is mainly important for absorbing nutrients and protein, animal proteins have over a 90% rate (basically your body actually uses/puts to work said amount) non-animal proteins (whey is milk based has about a 75-80% absorption rate) the absolute worst is plant proteins as they lack the “proper break-down” nutrients (a 40% rate is being optimistic) and often have hormonal repercussions and lack fats as well…. fat is non-inflammatory and has a “protein sparring effect” so it’s way more preffered over carb sources in regards to energy/health
@Jon Smith thanks for your not aggressive or below the belt response.. If you think that fits for you, good for you 🙂
@Sunnygirl bro-science lol, and thanks, like i mentioned this isn’t for majority of folks, just make sure your conscious of your goals and what your doing…. and goodluck
Thank you for this video. Very informative.
This is the most useful video around on the topic.
Is the protein/kg based on total body weight or lean body mass? I have a hard time getting 100 grams of protein a day, but using total body weight your formula would put my protein needs significantly higher than that.
I’ve always read/understood it as lean body mass, or what you’d ideally weigh if you’re trying to lose weight.
Interesting video. For me I actually don’t have strict macro quotas, but I do monitor protein (130g per day, which is ~2g per kg because I am focused on muscle gain/body recomp) and also a calorie budget, and just based on my eating habits I tend to end up with a macro split of 27-33% protein, 33-40% carbs, and the rest fat. It’s actually wild how consistent the ratio is for me, even though I never look at the macros of the food I eat except for protein. My diet is also a mix of whole foods and processed, nothing special or specific.
Sweet- thanks for making a video so many of us asked for! This is so helpful! As an athlete I’m always reaching for the newest research on optimizing diet for athletic performance.
Thank you as always Abbey! I so appreciate your evidence-backed perspectives and fun explainers. 😊
I only just started thinking about what I eat. This healthy eating thing, is harder than I would like. I was trying to increase my fibre, now I am wondering if I might need more protein.
Take it slow and don’t let it overwhelm you! Plus, your body is going to want to get used to your new diet slowly 🙂 maybe look into seeing a dietician if this is possible for you!
I think it depends on each person !
Abbey, thank you for this video and all the others you’ve made that help us with our weight loss endeavors!! Even though you don’t like talking about weight loss, it’s been very helpful for me 🙂
Ngl this blue was made for you! It compliments your eyes and skin so well 😍😍
Besides that… this video was super informative. Thanks again, Abbey!
with my really demanding university, i couldnt do without/with little carbs… i remember this situation when i was studying for an exam and i got such an intense headache, i wasnt hungry per se but i had the urge to eat some rice and i fortunately had leftover rice which i ate on its own and the headache literally passed right away after. my brain needs carbs lol
I have found over many years now, regardless of how active I am, that if I don’t get at least 25% protein and 25% carbs most of the time, I get “crave-y/snack-y”. Your “Hunger Crushing Combo” stuff really rings true for me, although for me at least, it is more of a mindless-snacking-crushing thing; since my cravings due to imbalance of macros isn’t really “hunger” per se, it is just feeling “not satisfied” despite being full. If my meal is too low in protein for example, it won’t matter how many extra helpings of rice or bread I take, and it can cause me to eat past what feels comfortable and still want more. I can eat as many chicken kabobs as I want and same thing, an hour later I will be craving something else, often ultra processed junk-food. I have never found a diet that vilifies carbs or is low in protein(South Beach/ Raw Vegan etc) doable for very long without giving into a binge.